The Legendary Hermit, Saints Giles, or Egidio
The life of Saint Giles, as many mediaeval saints, is steeped in legend, but what a following he had! Countless places, villages, cities, churches...
The Not so Hidden Life of Blessed John Juvenal Ancina
Saint Philip Neri, the founder of the Oratorians and the ‘second Apostle’ of Rome, recommended reading books beginning with ‘S’, that is, lives of...
Churches Spared
Even the secular news had to admit that it was odd, even using the word ‘miraculous’ as this headline proclaimed, that the Catholic church...
Augustine’s Pilgrimage to Truth
A blessed feast of the great Saint Augustine (354-430), bishop and doctor of the Church, and one of the greatest theologians in her history,...
The Persevering Prayer of Monica
Monica is the patron saint of mothers - not least, those who pray for the conversion of their children, an integral part of the...
The Black Madonna: Our Lady of Częstochowa
This feast of the 'Queen of Poland' is a national holiday in that great nation, with thousands of pilgrims flocking to her shrine at Jazna...
Saint Joseph Calasanz, a Radical Reformer
We would be remiss if we did not at least remark on this day on the great Saint Joseph Calasanz (+1648), a zealous priest,...
Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
It is an unfortunate accident of history – insofar as we may speak of accidents, when all things are guided in their providential design...
Saint Bartholomew, aka Nathaniel, In Whom There Was No Guile
A blessed feast of Saint Bartholomew, to one and all! Like many of the Apostles, we don't know all that much about the life...
The Enigmatic and Ecstatic Life of Rose of Lima
Rose of Lima (+1617), whose birth name was Isabel, was called 'Rose' when a servant saw her face mystically transformed soon after she was...